Some notes on the CACC Board of Directors meetings
CACC uses sleazy tactics to avoid public scrutiny:
Thanks to the efforts of SRAC, the CACC Board of Directors meetings were supposed to be open to the public. But, the day after Labor Day (Sept. 8, 1998), the CACC board held its first regular meeting since April -- and no one from SRAC was told about it, despite SRAC's co-chair speaking with CACC Executive Director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm by phone just days before the meeting.
To comply with the Open Meetings Law, CACC is required to post notice of scheduled board meetings one week in advance in a public place (which they did) and notify the media (they faxed the Times, Post & Daily News -- but not SRAC). CACC deliberately chose the week before Labor Day weekend -- a week when they knew many people would be away on vacation -- to post a single notice at City Hall and then scheduled the meeting for the morning after a holiday when no one would have time to spread the word even if they did see the single notice. SRAC had always been notified of CACC board meetings in the past, but the confrontational events of the April 29th meeting (see below) must have chilled CACC's reluctant agreement to liberally comply with the Open Meetings Law. It's completely consistent with the Giuliani Administration's arrogant policy of avoiding public scrutiny and avoiding public disclosures of their activities.
What happened at the Sept. 8th meeting? Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, CACC's chairman of the board -- a shameless liar who obstructed the hiring of an experienced shelter director last year and then perjured himself about it before a City Council committee -- finally stepped down (after almost three years as chair) because he's leaving the Sanitation Dept. on Sept. 30th. The new CACC board chair is Yolanda Jiminez, the Deputy Police Commissioner for Community Affairs -- who has consistently refused to meet with SRAC and other animal advocates in the past. From GARBAGEMAN to JAILER for our shelter animals. That's the best NYC can do.
And, the Board voted to raise the executive director's salary another $15,000. That brings Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm's annual pay to $115,000 a year (for someone with no prior shelter experience) -- plus use of a new jeep wagon and the privilege of carrying10 vacation days from year to year. Yet just last year, there was no more than $75,000 for other more qualified candidates that Mrs. Blohm (who didn't work for the Mayor's office).
Other details about the meeting can be found in the minutes of the CACC board of directors meetings for 1998. In the mean time, CACC executive director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm, still fails to to reinstate a meaningful volunteer program, create substantial off-site adoptions, or fire the problem employees plaguing CACC. She and her P.R. flunkie, Kyle Burkhard (former AmeriCares fundraiser and Connecticut resident) instead concoct sinister skewed statics justifying (in their minds) the 40,000+ animal deaths at CACC each year as "reasonable" for a City the size of New York. Proof positive that this team is certainly not working in the best interest of animals -- and must go. We're working on it.
ANIMAL ADVOCATES CONFRONT CACC BOARD
On April 29, 1998, the second CACC Board of Directors meeting open to the public was attended by animal advocates and several animal owners who were victimized by CACC.
Chairman & Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty was a no show, despite being seen in the building moments later, as was Dr. Daniel Ricciardi, whose office referred SRAC to John Doherty when requesting an appointment to meet with him (Doherty had already turned SRAC down).
New board member Health Commissioner & psychiatrist Neal Cohen likewise refused to meet with SRAC, displaying a paranoid arrogance when questioned why his office refused to schedule a meeting to discuss his new duties.
For a profile of the City Hall-picked characters populating the CACC board, see SRAC Press Release announcing demand CACC Board remove City Hall control.
Teshan Baker and Lori Phelan, both of whom lost dogs to CACC's negligence, stand in front of the CACC Board of Directors as they go through the motions.
After the Board adjourned, Teshan asked Board members how such life and death mistakes can be allowed to happen.
Animal advocates confront CACC executive director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm (left) with a litany of grievances.
CACC uses sleazy tactics to avoid public scrutiny:
Thanks to the efforts of SRAC, the CACC Board of Directors meetings were supposed to be open to the public. But, the day after Labor Day (Sept. 8, 1998), the CACC board held its first regular meeting since April -- and no one from SRAC was told about it, despite SRAC's co-chair speaking with CACC Executive Director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm by phone just days before the meeting.
To comply with the Open Meetings Law, CACC is required to post notice of scheduled board meetings one week in advance in a public place (which they did) and notify the media (they faxed the Times, Post & Daily News -- but not SRAC). CACC deliberately chose the week before Labor Day weekend -- a week when they knew many people would be away on vacation -- to post a single notice at City Hall and then scheduled the meeting for the morning after a holiday when no one would have time to spread the word even if they did see the single notice. SRAC had always been notified of CACC board meetings in the past, but the confrontational events of the April 29th meeting (see below) must have chilled CACC's reluctant agreement to liberally comply with the Open Meetings Law. It's completely consistent with the Giuliani Administration's arrogant policy of avoiding public scrutiny and avoiding public disclosures of their activities.
What happened at the Sept. 8th meeting? Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, CACC's chairman of the board -- a shameless liar who obstructed the hiring of an experienced shelter director last year and then perjured himself about it before a City Council committee -- finally stepped down (after almost three years as chair) because he's leaving the Sanitation Dept. on Sept. 30th. The new CACC board chair is Yolanda Jiminez, the Deputy Police Commissioner for Community Affairs -- who has consistently refused to meet with SRAC and other animal advocates in the past. From GARBAGEMAN to JAILER for our shelter animals. That's the best NYC can do.
And, the Board voted to raise the executive director's salary another $15,000. That brings Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm's annual pay to $115,000 a year (for someone with no prior shelter experience) -- plus use of a new jeep wagon and the privilege of carrying10 vacation days from year to year. Yet just last year, there was no more than $75,000 for other more qualified candidates that Mrs. Blohm (who didn't work for the Mayor's office).
Other details about the meeting can be found in the minutes of the CACC board of directors meetings for 1998. In the mean time, CACC executive director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm, still fails to to reinstate a meaningful volunteer program, create substantial off-site adoptions, or fire the problem employees plaguing CACC. She and her P.R. flunkie, Kyle Burkhard (former AmeriCares fundraiser and Connecticut resident) instead concoct sinister skewed statics justifying (in their minds) the 40,000+ animal deaths at CACC each year as "reasonable" for a City the size of New York. Proof positive that this team is certainly not working in the best interest of animals -- and must go. We're working on it.
ANIMAL ADVOCATES CONFRONT CACC BOARD
On April 29, 1998, the second CACC Board of Directors meeting open to the public was attended by animal advocates and several animal owners who were victimized by CACC.
Chairman & Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty was a no show, despite being seen in the building moments later, as was Dr. Daniel Ricciardi, whose office referred SRAC to John Doherty when requesting an appointment to meet with him (Doherty had already turned SRAC down).
New board member Health Commissioner & psychiatrist Neal Cohen likewise refused to meet with SRAC, displaying a paranoid arrogance when questioned why his office refused to schedule a meeting to discuss his new duties.
For a profile of the City Hall-picked characters populating the CACC board, see SRAC Press Release announcing demand CACC Board remove City Hall control.
Teshan Baker and Lori Phelan, both of whom lost dogs to CACC's negligence, stand in front of the CACC Board of Directors as they go through the motions.
After the Board adjourned, Teshan asked Board members how such life and death mistakes can be allowed to happen.
Animal advocates confront CACC executive director Marilyn Haggarty-Blohm (left) with a litany of grievances.
